


-Incomplete- Our Days Together

by AoYokai



Category: No. 6 - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Reunion, discontinued
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 11:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3726787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AoYokai/pseuds/AoYokai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seriously! Unless you want to read a discontinued fic, don't read this!<br/>Four years after leaving No. 6, Nezumi finally musters the courage to return. But when he does, he realizes that he’s coming home not only to a rival, but also to a very different Shion than the one he remembered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“All done with my speech!” Shion announced proudly before handing the paper over to the man before him.

“Nicely done,” said Shu, Shion’s right-hand man, as he scanned through it. He was a tall and thin man, with warm face that lit up frequently, especially when he was speaking with Shion. “I trust that you’ve already memorized it?”

“Yes,” Shion answered.

“Excellent. That should be all for today,” Shu replied.

“All?” Shion exclaimed. “But the convention is in two days! There must be a whole bunch of—”

“There is,” agreed Shu, “but I can handle it. You, however, will have enough work at the convention itself. It’s better if you save your energy until then.”

“But I can’t just leave all of the work to you!” argued Shion.

“It’s not only me. Everyone in the department will be working hard before the event, so do us all a favor and rest so you will be able to do your own job when time comes.”

A year ago, Shion wouldn’t even have bothered to insist before continuing to work anyway. But now, he just nodded and said, “If you do need anything in the end, don’t hesitate to call,” before picking up his belongings.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Hero of the City.” Shu bowed deeply.

“Shut up,” Shion said as he left the office,making his way to the elevator.

Shu laughed. “Just so you know, you’re not allowed to work until the convention other than practicing your speech,” he said.

“You seem to forget that I am your superior.” Shion entered the elevator with a smug grin, and Shu followed.

“Hey, we said that if everyone in the Head Department agreed on something you should do what we say,” said Shu.

“When did you put that to vote?”

“When you were working on your speech in your office.”

“But Ai wasn’t here today!”

“We texted her, and she agreed.”

Shion pouted. “Fine,” he said, “no work until the convention.”

“Good.” Shu let Shion exit the elevator then held it open so they could keep talking. “I’ll drop by your place to make sure you’re actually keeping that promise.”

“You’re so mean!” Shion folded his arms and Shu waved goodbye before letting go of the elevator door and going back up to his own office.

Shion left the office and looked at the sky. Judging by the position of the sun, he assumed it was only a few hours into the afternoon. He took a deep breath and tried to think about anything other than work. It had been a whole year since he had fainted in his office and hit his head on a sharp object, an accident that hadn’t caused much damage besides some long-term memory loss. The accident had, however, resulted with his entire department, and Shu in particular, deciding that Shion’s habit of figuratively working himself to death might actually kill him eventually. Their worry was endearing, and soon Shion realized he couldn’t quite remember why he had been working so hard in the first place, so finally he agreed to take his work a little less seriously. He used his newfound free time to spend more time with family and friends. He visited his mother’s bakery frequently, washed Inukashi’s dogs every now and then, and sometimes he even spent time with his coworkers, especially Shu. Today, seeing that it was a nice day for a walk, Shion decided to make his way to the train station and ride the train to Lost Town so he could visit his mother.

The West Block had changed a lot in these past four years, and Shion was proud to admit that it was mostly due to his own, and several others’ hard work. It didn’t smell so badly anymore, the buildings didn’t seem like they were about to be blown away by the wind, kids could run about freely, and their parents could walk behind them without a hint of worry on their faces. The new West Block, while still not perfect, was much more ideal than the old No.6 could have ever been. Shion’s only regret was that Safu wasn’t there to see it. _No, that wasn’t it,_ Shion knew; the thought had bothered him a lot recently. _I did this for Safu and…?_

_Train number 11037 to Lost Town Station will be departing from—_

_Crap!_ Shion mentally swore, before sprinting farther into the station in order to catch his train on time. He barely made it, ignoring the strange looks he received for jumping into the train a moment before the doors closed. After catching his breath, Shion took a moment to look around. He always loved riding the train because, in his opinion, it was the ultimate symbol of No. 6’s liberation. Not only was it a fast, free, and easy way to pass from the West Block to any other part of No. 6, it was also a place where he could see many citizens enjoying his hard work. Riding the train gave him the opportunity to see people who had fought for their lives on a daily basis in the West Block wearing suits and going to work, hanging around with friends, or just to going to catch the newest show at the theater. These people could now have normal—and most importantly—safe lives, and for Shion, that was the greatest accomplishment he could have.

_Although we’ve been having a couple of nice and warm days, it seems like there’s a storm moving in our direction, so be prepared for a rainy weekend. Until then—_

Somewhere near Shion the main news channel was playing on a screen attached to the train’s side. The storm was supposed to start exactly at the time of the convention, but it didn’t worry him at all. He had loved storms for as long as he could remember, and the convention would be taking place indoors anyway, so there was no need to be concerned.

The train reached Lost Town Station soon after. It was quite a walk from Karan’s bakery, but Shion enjoyed the exercise. Lost Town hadn’t changed as much as the West Block had, but the more positive atmosphere in the place where he had spent his teenage years was more than enough for Shion to feel proud of his actions in this section of the city, too. By the time he reached the bakery the sky was already colored dim orange, meaning that Shion’s visit couldn’t last very long. Yet, being able to smell the pastries as he walked down the familiar street and knowing that he was going to see his mother was worth the trip even if it was only for a little while.

“Big sis! Big sis! Uncle Shion is here!” Shionn yelled when Shion entered the bakery. He then ran in Shion’s direction to hug him, and Shion crouched to receive the hug.

“How’s it going, big guy?” Shion ruffled the child’s already messy hair.

“Great! Me and big sis are helping Ms. Karan to clean the shop!” he replied.  

“Good job!” Shion said. “Where is your ma?”

“She said she had lots and lots of work and that Ms. Karan and big sis are going to watch over me!”

“And how are you doing, Lili?” Shion asked the teenage girl who was standing a little farther away from the door, cleaning the floor with a broom.

“Alright,” she answered.

“And how is school going?” he added.

“Same as always. If you’re looking for Ms. Karan, she’s in the kitchen, but I think she’s busy. She went back there with a man.”

“A man?” Shion asked, surprised.

“Yes. It looked like she hasn’t seen him in quite a while,” Lili said.

Shion walked to the kitchen, curious as to who was the man and what his relationship with his mother was. When he reached the door, he couldn’t help but overhearing his mother say, “No, you just don’t understand. That’s not why you can’t see him, Nezumi.”

“Then why?” demanded a voice.

Shion entered the kitchen immediately, and saw his mother, wearing her usual apron, talking with a man with disheveled black hair. He was wearing travelling boots that looked like they had seen better days, and a leather jacket, as well as what seemed to be a super-fiber cloth wrapped around his neck. But his most distinguishing feature was his eyes—his beautiful, gray eyes—which Shion could swear he had seen somewhere before.

But Shion didn’t have much time to wonder about that, because the man whispered _Shion_ and walked toward him. Before Shion could comprehend anything else, the man was right in front of him and something warm and wet was touching his lips. Shion automatically pushed the man away, enough to separate their lips but not enough to create any meaningful distance between them. The man looked at him, surprised, as if pushing away a strange man who had just started kissing him wasn’t the reaction he had expected from Shion.

“Excuse me,” Shion said with a questioning look, “Do I know you?”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Nezumi’s head was spinning long after Karan politely asked Shion to leave the room. The shock of not being recognized by Shion was like a swift and painful blow to his head, so effective that he couldn’t even feel surprised when he found himself sitting at a table in the other room with no memory of ever having gone there. He couldn’t exactly recall Karan walking into the room with him either, or sitting right across from him by the other side of the table. When he noticed her, she smiled reassuringly, waiting for some sort of sign from Nezumi that would tell her that he was ready to hear an explanation about his encounter with Shion a moment ago. After a long pause and still no sign from Nezumi, Karan started talking.

"A year ago, Shion fainted in his office," she explained, "and as he fell down, he hit his head on the edge of his desk. By the time a co-worker found him, he had already lost quite a lot of blood. He was in the hospital for three days before he woke up, and when he did, the doctors determined that the only damage that was caused by the accident was memory loss.

“When we asked him about it, Shion described his memories of the three years before the accident as short, confused scenes in his mind,” Karan said. “He mostly remembered sensations or emotions rather than concrete details. For the first few months he would get very stressed without knowing why, or start laughing for no reason. It took a very long time, but he put these feelings and segments of memories in order; with a lot of help from his doctors, myself, and others he’d either never forgotten or remembered almost instantly. He had to stay at the hospital for a few more weeks for supervision, and then he stayed with me because he still didn’t remember enough to live alone. During that time he would ask things that rarely made sense, about smells and tastes, or deep feelings he had for a person but didn’t remember who it was. He was trying to associate the feelings that surfaced with people and events. We could help him with that most of the time.

“The problem was, and still is, that he never said anything that might be connected to you, or to his life in the West Block, in any way.”

Nezumi didn’t know how long he was staring at his hands, unable to form any coherent words, not even inside of his own head. _Brain damage…? Shion doesn’t remember who I am?_

The idea was so bizarre Nezumi felt as if it was just one of the many nightmares he’d had about losing Shion during his travels. He thought about pinching himself or getting a knife from the kitchen and stabbing himself in order to wake up, but he felt so surreal that just considering this course of action seemed so much more real than sitting there. In fact, his daydreams about waking up seemed so real, that he was very confused to find out that he didn’t move an inch.

“But don’t worry, Nezumi.” Karan said, trying to cheer him up. “He will remember you, I’m sure of it.”

Then, Nezumi started laughing. His laughter was irrepressible and wild, and he was almost hoping that Shion, even if he had no idea who Nezumi was, would run into the room and pour water on him, then ask if he was experiencing some sort of hysteria. Karan was probably thinking about the same thing Shion would’ve thought if he were there, because she jumped up from her chair in alarm. Nezumi waved in dismissal, still laughing, and Karan sat down reluctantly, obviously not convinced that Nezumi’s behavior could be that easily disregarded.

After he calmed down, he looked at Karan again. “And what exactly,” Nezumi didn’t even bother to hide the sarcasm and bitterness in his voice, “makes you think that he would remember me?”

Karan didn’t seem to be offended by his tone. She looked at Nezumi with pity and compassion. “Because you’re not the only thing he forgot,” she said. “He forgot many things, but he remembered, eventually. It’s a slow and delicate process, but he remembered! At first it was working in the Reconstructural Committee; he just woke up one morning, dressed in his official attire, gave me a good morning kiss and said he was leaving. When I asked him where to, he stopped for a moment and said, ‘To the office, I think’.

“From there he remembered Inukashi, Shionn, and some of his co-workers. It was still a little hazy, and he would often ask me things like, ‘who was the person I ate this cake with’ or ‘who was the person that was always wearing that color’. But eventually, he remembered. Now, you can’t tell he once forgot anything at all about his life after you left and before the accident. I’m sure that if you talk with him, he will eventually associate his old memories with you as well!”

“I see,” Nezumi said, just as bitterly as before, “but for that he would need fragments to start with, no? You said he never said anything that even seemed to connect to the West Block, so how would he associate me with memories he doesn’t even have?”

Karan looked down as if to avoid Nezumi’s scornful eyes. “The doctors and I talked about it a lot, as a matter of fact. I was very concerned about him not remembering anything, so when the doctors asked what types of things he forgot I talked almost only about the West Block rather than his everyday life. I even asked Rikiga and Inukashi to tell them more about it. The doctors said that his life in the West Block seemed to be an important time for him because it was very intense, but that it was too short for him to have any meaningful parts of it preserved. They also said that because it was so intense, it’s likely that his brain is purposely suppressing whatever parts of these memories he still has.”

“There you have it, then,” Nezumi said. “It’s clear that he’s _not_ going to remember me.” He was about to start laughing again, but before he could, another person barged into the room—Inukashi. She was much taller than Nezumi remembered, and cleaner; for once her hair didn’t seem like a big, brown bush.

“Look what we got here,” she said. “I thought I smelled something rotten.”

Karan looked awkwardly between them, before announcing, “I… will leave the two of you alone,” and leaving the room. Nezumi stood up angrily, but didn’t say a word.

“Judging by that sour look, I get that you already met Shion.” Inukashi smirked.

“What of it?” Nezumi shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, trying to seem as indifferent as possible.

“Not much,” she replied, “but I suppose that means you don’t have somewhere to stay in the city.”

Nezumi looked at her suddenly, bewildered.

“You didn’t even think about that,” she laughed. “I guess I could spare a room back at my hotel for you. Somebody has to make sure you don’t try putting any moves on Shion whenever you feel like it.”

“I don’t need your charity,” Nezumi said, taking one step backwards and pushing the chair along with him.

“Don’t consider that charity, in that case.” Inukashi smiled deviously. “You can pay me back by washing the dogs until your nails fall off and your fingers rot.”

Nezumi still gave her a reluctant look, but after a short staring contest between the two, Shionn walked in. “Mama I’m tired,” he yawned, hugging Inukashi’s leg.

She smiled at the kid softly. “We’re going, angel, just a minute.” Then, she looked back at Nezumi. “Come on,” she said, “you don’t want to bother dear old Karan, your future mother-in-law, now do you?”

Nezumi snorted, because he knew Inukashi had said that only because she was aware that Shion didn’t even remember him, let alone have any intentions of ever marrying him. But he followed her, simply because he had nowhere else to go.

Nezumi watched as Shionn and Inukashi walked hand in hand to Inukashi’s car. Shionn cheerfully told her about everything he had done that day with ‘big sis Lili’ and ‘Ms. Karan’. It could have been a delightful sight, if only Nezumi hadn’t just had his entire world burnt to ashes a few minutes ago. How many weeks had he spent dreaming of and yearning for Shion? He had left so he could change—transform into a person who deserved to have someone like Shion in his life. Or at least, that was the conclusion he reached to by the end of his journey. How could he have been so naive as to think that Shion wouldn’t change as well? _Of course he would change,_ Nezumi knew; _after all, I left him scarred and damaged with the heavy responsibility to fix a city I taught him to hate._ And here was Inukashi right before him, showing him just how much she changed, and how much the whole city had changed. The same city Nezumi left in Shion’s care, that Shion had to rebuild while being too busy rebuilding himself. _Yes,_ he thought in agony, _I was foolish to think that No. 6 would wait for me._

The happy chatter between Shionn and Inukashi only worsened when the three were inside of the car. Not only it was a closed space that made the everything seem so much louder, but also it was another clear example for how different life in the city was now. Nezumi felt like they’d been driving for hours before they reached the hotel, which was only added to the pile of things that had transformed completely since he had left. _Great_ , Nezumi thought as he saw the brand-new building, _another thing that changed._

Inukashi showed him into the building, but didn’t pay much attention to him other than that, seeing that she was too busy with Shionn. She ordered one of the workers who was walking around the lobby busily to take Nezumi to whatever room was open, and left as he accompanied the young woman who was supposed to take him to his room. If Nezumi thought that the hotel had changed beyond recognition when he looked at its outside, the inside was an even bigger shock. The lobby, halls, and stairs, were all made of marble, and properly lighted, something that couldn’t have been said for the old hotel, by chandeliers. Unlike the old hotel, the clientele were far from a small group of people that couldn’t afford a house—they were all clean and well-dressed, and most likely from outside of No. 6. The only thing that remained the same was Inukashi’s dogs, who were roaming around the hotel freely, although they too had changed a bit, because now their fur was brushed and they looked very well-fed. Rather than wild, dirty dogs, they were clean and almost civilized, so majestic that they didn’t seem out of place even inside of the new, improved hotel.

The woman lead him to the top floor, and left him standing before a beautifully carved door with a fancy looking card that was supposed to open it. He walked inside, but was too tired to explore the room, which seemed quite big, so he collapsed on the king-sized bed with the silk sheets and large, soft pillows. From what he saw in that position, the room lived up to the looks of the rest of the hotel, and was obviously decorated by someone with very delicate taste; the patterns on the walls, the small living room area in the corner, the crystal light bulbs—the work of a designer from No. 3, Nezumi guessed.

Nezumi moved around the bed to bury himself under the blanket without getting up. This room made him feel like he was traveling again, although he had rarely had the chance to stay at fancy hotels like this one. He had hoped that not seeing the hotel room would make him feel better, more aware of the fact that he was in back in the West Block. And it did, partially. He was now painfully aware that he was, in fact, in the West Block, but instead of feeling better he only felt crushing despair. So what if he was back in No. 6? None of it mattered if Shion didn’t remember him.  He could be in the middle of nowhere; it would hardly be any different. At least when he was traveling he always had the thought of Shion to keep him running away or going back. And thinking about that, Nezumi found himself forced to deal his next problem:

_What the fuck am I going to do now?_

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey! Wake up already!”

Nezumi jumped out of bed at the disturbance to his sleep, gripping a knife and taking a fighting stance, a habit he had developed while traveling.

“Put that thing down, that’s dangerous,” Inukashi ordered, irritated.

“What the fuck are you doing here?! How did you get into my room?!” he said, lowering the knife.

“It’s my hotel, remember?” Inukashi said. “I have the keys for all of the rooms.”

“You could’ve just knocked! Or called my room!” said Nezumi.

“Yeah, I guess I could,” she said thoughtfully. “Either way, we have a lot to do and very little time, so get up!”

“A lot to do?” Nezumi asked. “Like what?”

“Well, first of all, you said you don’t want my charity, so I got you a job,” Inukashi explained.

“You woke me up to wash your stupid dogs?” said Nezmi with disbelief.

Inukashi pouted at the word ‘stupid’, but nevertheless said , “Like hell I’ll trust you with my dogs. I got you a job interview at the West Block theater. If you take it seriously you might get a decent part, as well as reasonable pay. Not to mention that you might catch the eyes of a certain white-haired air-head that goes there regularly.”

 _Damnit,_ Nezumi thought, _Inukashi knew I wouldn’t be able to refuse if she said that._

“And also, we need to buy you a suit later today,” Inukashi added.

“A suit? What for?” Nezumi asked.

“Shion’s polotical party is hosting a huge convention tomorrow, with all of the other parties in the city as well as many import’nt people from all around. You might not be able to talk with Shion much, but you could at least show your presence. And you’ll need to make type of good impression on Shion after just randomly kissin’ him the other day.”

“How did you…?”

“He told me,” Inukashi said, but didn’t give him time to ponder over it, “now get up already! I’ll be in the car, and you better be there too in 5 minutes!”

Nezumi fought the urge to retort as she left the room, then lazily walked to the bathroom. He hadn’t bothered to change the day before, and he had no intentions of doing so now, either, but he guessed that if he was to have a job interview, he might as well look as decent as possible. The bathroom was just as annoyingly extravagant as the rest of the hotel, with a marble tub and crystal bottles of soap that made Nezumi wonder where Inukashi got all of that money from. _Shion,_ he figured, _probably invested in her hotel._ And still, no matter how Nezumi looked at it, there were many other things in the city that were more important and urgent, and Shion’s investing in the hotel instead seemed odd.

Nezumi looked in the mirror. After straightening his clothes from his sleep, he examined his face. He had shaved for Shion before arriving at No. 6, in vain as it soon turned out, and other than that there was very little he could do to improve his appearance in that regard; not that he actually needed to so with his natural beauty. He combed his short hair with his fingers for a while before deciding that it was fine and walking out the way he came from the day before.

Inukashi’s car wasn’t difficult to spot, mainly because she had her own special parking spot just be the entrance to the hotel. Nezumi opened the door and sat down in the sit next to her silently.

“Ready?” Inukashi asked.

“Do I have a choice?” Nezumi asked back.

“You could leave again,” she answered, then started the car.

Nezumi looked out of the window. _Yes,_ he assumed, _I could leave._ It was a scary thought, because for the first time in his life, there was nothing to stop him from leaving. He could leave Shion to be happy with his ignorance, go far away, and never look back. He would find his own happiness, and forget about Shion. Forget about No. 6. Forget about the misery it had caused him. There was no reason for him to stay just so that Inukashi could keep him as her new dog, no point in watching Shion keep moving with his life without ever knowing what they used to be for each other.

“Don’t,” Inukashi broke his train of thought.

“Don’t what?” Nezumi asked.

“Don’t take what I said seriously,” she replied, “‘bout leaving, I mean.”

“Why not?” Nezumi didn’t know what he was saying; he had no desire to let Inukashi in on that decision.

“Because Shion might remember,” she answered. “And when he does, how do you think he’d feel? Knowing you came back but that he forgot who you were at the time. It would destroy him, and I’m not letting you destroy him anymore than you already did.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nezumi demanded.

“Why do you think he fainted in his office?” she yelled. “That idiot was working himself to death because he wanted to make this city perfect for when you return. You think that time he lost his memory was the first time he fainted at work? Do you have any idea just how many bloody times he had to see a doctor because he forgot to eat or sleep or drink for too long? Take responsibility for you fuckin’ actions. He might not remember it, but he’s still waiting for you. Don’t you dare keep him waiting.”

Nezumi didn’t reply after that. He just kept looking out the window and wondered how come Shion could be so broken when he seemed so _fine_ when they had last met. Any normal person would have broken, Nezumi knew, but because Shion seemed so healthy and strong, he could’ve never imagined that something like that had happened only a year ago. Then he realized, _it was a year ago. Shion only looked healthy because **he forgot me**._

But all of those thoughts went away when Inukashi parked by West Block theater. Nezumi had seen plenty of theaters during his travels, almost none of which had been in any of the six cities. And although those theaters were in relatively smaller cities with fewer resources than cities like No. 6, they were still bigger, cleaner, and more beautiful than the theater they used to have in the West Block. But the theater that stood before Nezumi now put all of those other ones to shame. Nezumi was tempted to say it was about as tall as half of the Moondrop, and probably 3 times as expensive, judging by the detailed images that were carved into the beautiful stone that made the walls of the buildings. He made a mental note to ask Shion why he had put so much money into luxuries like the hotel and the theater.

The inside of the theater was just as incredible as the outside, but Nezumi didn’t have time to stare at the wide stairs that just kept going upwards and upwards, or at the bronze sculptures that decorated the hallways, because Inukashi led him straight to what seemed to be the office area. She knocked on a door with the label ‘manager’, which opened almost immediately, revealing a tall, skinny women with round glasses, who gave both of them a cold gaze. She let them inside without a word and walked back into the office herself afterwards. She then sat down by her desk and looked at Nezumi, who was standing alongside from Inukashi right in front of her.

“Generally speaking,” she began, “the audition season was over a few months ago. But, since Rikiga recommended you, I guess I would make that exception.”

Nezumi gave Inukashi a glare, and she stared back at him, silently saying _you own me_.

“I will warn you, though,” the manager continued, “pretending to be a beautiful girl in front of a bunch of horny guys wouldn’t be enough for this theater.”

Nezumi was about to protest, but decided against it, and took a deep breath before beginning to act out a few lines from Hamlet. As the great actor he was, he could bring his audience to tears without feeling a thing. He expected it to be the case, as always, but the manager watched him silently without moving an inch. When he finished, a little nervous about the lack of reaction, the manager stood up and said, “I can see now why Rikiga recommended you. I can get you a job in the theater, if you’d like.”

“Really?!” Inukashi exclaimed.

“You can work behind the scenes with the lights,” she said.

“What?” Nezumi asked, shocked. “I thought you said you loved it!”

“I did,” she replied, “you are indeed a very talented actor, and this theater would be more than honored to facilitate your growth. But, like I said, the audition season is over. I can’t kick out one of my actors to give you a main part in Hamlet. You might have a natural talent, and a lot of it, but we’ve been running that play for months. These actors practiced together for long and tedious hours. They know each other, they know their directors, they know their audience, and they know this theater. And that is something that sheer talent can’t suppress. All of the main roles are casted with actors that have been with the theater for at least a year. When the audition season starts again you could try your luck, but don’t expect any more than a few lines.”

“Wait!” Inukashi protested. “You haven’t heard him sing yet!”

“It doesn’t matter,” the manager said. “He’d need to build his position from zero if he wants to make it in this theater. It won’t take him very long, with his talent, but it would still require at least another audition season. I’m sorry.”

“So you’re just gonna let him sit there and wait because he’s new? That’s—” Inukashi was interrupted by Nezumi.

“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ll take the job.”

“It’s settled, then,” the manager nodded. “Come back again tomorrow morning. I’ll have someone show you around.”

And they left her office. On the way back to the car, Nezumi noticed that Inukashi murmured something about Nezumi’s not being as good of an actor as he thought. And still, she seemed quite careful with her words, as if Nezumi might be broken from being rejected that way. Nezumi didn’t mind. It hardly mattered whether he got a main part or a job behind stage. Yes, Shion wouldn’t be able to see him act that way, but at least he had gotten a job. And either way he knew he was going to get a good part sooner or later. Shion didn’t remember him anyway; what could a few months change? And what could having Shion see him on stage change?

**

It all changed when Nezumi saw Shion on the stage. He was quite sceptical about going to that convention in the first place, because he didn’t fancy big luxurious parties, and because that would mean he would have to face Shion again. The evening had started just as bad as he anticipated. Inukashi and Nezumi stood in the corner of the main hall in the Moondrop, both formally dressed and awkwardly watching the many important politicians and famous activists exchanging their greetings. Nezumi recognized some face but not because he ever looked into politics; it was because some of these people had their faces on signs and sculptures wherever he went in their cities.

“May I get everyone’s attention, please?” A familiar voice broke the chatter, and all faces turned to the stage, where Shion stood.

“First, I must thank all of you for coming here,” he began. “Some of you have come from very far, and traveling all the way to No. 6 isn’t that simple to arrange these days. The transportation between the cities might be improving, but that isn't really matter when you have a busy schedule.” There was a short chuckle from almost everyone in the crowd.

“You might be wondering, ‘Why the Moondrop?’. After all, it’s the ultimate symbol for No. 6’s former cruel tyranny.” Shion started walking around the stage slowly. “But that is exactly why we chose to celebrate No. 6’s new era here. Learning from the past is important, and without remembering the past we are doomed to repeat it. We mustn’t forget. No. 6’s downfall was caused by its obsession with perfection. It was the Holy City, where everyone had to be happy while others suffered. No. 6 isn’t perfect, and it will never be. Our past isn’t perfect, but it’s ours nonetheless.

“And that is why we can’t forget it.” Shion put his hand over his heart. “We can’t run away from our problems. We must bravely face them, something that I’m glad to say everyone in here helped in doing. With every moment in the present turning into the past eventually, every step we take to improve our city now turns our history for the better. And with every house we build, every new book we purchase for the city library, we make the future better. Better, but not perfect. That is what we can learn from our past. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”

And with a humble bow, Shion left the stage, and the crowd applauded enthusiastically. Nezumi cheered too, or at least he thought he was cheering, because he was too mesmerized by Shion’s speech to notice his hands were moving in a very mechanical and awkward way that was supposed to produce the sound of clapping.

“Well?” Inukashi asked.

“He’s grown,” Nezumi said monotonously, still staring blankly at the stage, although Shion had gone long ago.

“Not enough to discourage you from talking to him now, I hope,” she said.

“No way,” Nezumi answered, clearly more focused now.

“Let’s go, then,” Inukashi said.


	4. Chapter 4

It took quite a while before Nezumi and Inukashi were able to speak with Shion. He was drowning in a sea of hair gel and perfume of the countless guests that surrounded him as they had come to congratulate him for his speech. But, after waiting inside of the herd of excited politicians and celebrities, Nezumi and Inukashi finally caught Shion’s attention.

“Inukashi!” He waved enthusiastically and rushed over to her side. “I’m so glad you could make it!”

His eyes met on Nezumi’s, and he tilted his head. Nezumi would have called it _an airheaded reaction,_ since he showed no signs of awkwardness or anger towards the man who had kissed him, despite supposedly not knowing him.

“That’s my friend, Nezumi,” Inukashi introduced the two, and Nezumi almost choked on thin air from hearing Inukashi referring to him as her friend.

“Nice to meet you.” Nezumi stretched his arm to shake Shion’s hand while giving him a warm, charming smile.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Shion replied, and shook Nezumi’s hand. “Are you new in town? I’ve never seen you before. I mean, other than two days ago.”

Nezumi ignored the pain in his chest from hearing these last remarks, and kept smiling. “I used to live in the West Block, but I left a few years ago to travel around the world.”

“Really?” Shion said with awe. “That’s amazing! I wish I could do that.”

Inukashi seemingly noticed something behind Shion, because her eyes widened in panic, and she quickly grabbed Nezumi’s arm to make him tilt in her direction. “Shit, I totally forgot to warn you about—”

“Shu!” Shion exclaimed, as a tall man came to stand on Shion’s side. He was dressed in a nice black tux and a green tie, and wore his silky black hair pushed backwards, completely revealing his handsome face. His green eyes shone for a moment, then darkened as they landed on Nezumi.

“Inukashi, it’s good to see you,” the man Nezumi assumed was Shu said, and she let go of Nezumi’s arm and smiled forcedly.

“Yeah, nice to see you, too, I guess,” she mumbled.

“Shu, this is Nezumi,” Shion said, smiling. “He’s Inukashi’s friend.”

“I see,” Shu said thoughtfully, while scanning Nezumi thoroughly with his eyes.

“I understand you are Shu,” Nezumi said, moving to shake his hand as well.

“It’s Lao, for you.” Shu didn’t move an inch.

“Oh, come on, Shu, don’t be rude,” Shion scolded.

Shu turned to face him. “Did you greet the ambassador from No. 1 yet?” he asked.

Shion’s face darkened. “Crap!”

And so, Shion left the three standing together.

“Nezumi, right?” Shu said when Shion had left his sight. “Do us all a favor and crawl back to whatever hellhole you came from, will you? Do it quickly, before you cause any more damage.”

Before Nezumi could reply, Inukashi pulled him back and down so that his ear was right by her mouth. “Shu is Shion’s boyfriend,” she whispered.

Nezumi stood up straight again, completely masking his shock, and looked at Shu from top to bottom. “Shion’s standards have decreased, I see,” he said coldly.

“Indeed,” Shu agreed in a similar voice. “It’s difficult to find a person who is stupid, cruel and selfish enough to leave a guy like Shion the way you did.”

Nezumi was about to retort, but just then, Shion returned. “Shu, the ambassador from No. 1 said he wouldn’t be able to attend weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Shu apologized, “I guess I got confused.”

“It’s okay,” Shion replied, “you just really scared me for a moment, is all.”

“Well, then,” said Shu, “if the two of you excuse us—”

“Ah, Shion,” a female voice called, “I’m glad I could find you.” It was a tall, young looking woman, with unnaturally red hair. Her dress was also bright red and so were her long fingernails. She smiled pleasantly in Shion’s direction.

“Victoria, you look as beautiful as always,” Shion remarked, more out of politeness than anything else, then looked to Inukashi’s direction. “You remember my friends, Inukashi and Shu. This one is Nezumi. Nezumi, this is—”

“The mayor of No. 3,” Nezumi finished. It was impossible for anyone who had been to No. 3 to not recognize her. Her propaganda was absolutely everywhere in the city.

“My, someone did his homework,” Victoria said, obviously pleased. She reached to the direction of Nezumi’s face while speaking softly, “I don’t believe I ever had a pet quite like you before—”

Nezumi slapped her hand away. Inukashi elbowed him, and he gave her a glare.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Shion attempted to calm the situation down, but Victoria only smiled and put the hand Nezumi just slapped on her own cheek.

“It’s alright, Shion honey,” she said, “I like it when they play hard to get.”

“Excuse—” Nezumi began, but Inukashi elbowed him again and prevented him from completing his protest.

“Anyway, honey.” She looked at Shion, “it was nice seeing you.” She then left, waving suggestively.

“You know,” Inukashi said after Victoria was at a safe distance, “I don’t like her either, but you still can’t be rude, no matter how humiliating it is to keep polite.”

Nezumi turned to Inukashi with a speechless expression, before eventually saying, “Who are you and what did you do to Inukashi?”

“Shut the fuck up, you filthy rat,” Inukashi growled.

“Don’t take it personally,” Shion added. “Victoria’s always like that.”

Shu sighed. “Well then,” he said, “we still have some business to attend to, so we will take our leave now. Enjoy the rest of the party.”

As Shu started walking away, Shion said, “It was nice meeting you, Nezumi,” before turning around and following Shu.

After a short silence, during which Nezumi and Inukashi watched the two of them go, Nezumi said, “You forgot to tell me that Shion had a boyfriend?!”

“I tried to think how to brin’ it up!” she replied defensively.

“Oh, I don’t know, how about ‘Shion has a boyfriend’?! How does he know me if Shion lost his memories, anyway?”

“Shu joined Shion’s party three years ago,” Inukashi explained. “Shion always said that he reminded him of you, so naturally the two grew close very quickly. Shion told Shu about you several times before losing his memories, and Shu, well, he hates your guts now. Both because you made Shion so sad by leaving and because Shion never agreed to date him when he still remembered you. When he forgot, well, Shu isn’t the type to not take an opportunity.”

“Did he lie to Shion?” Nezumi asked. “About the two of them dating before he lost his memories?”

“Oh, no, not that,” said Inukashi. “Shu’s a sly guy, yeah, and not the most honest one, too. But he would never lie to Shion. And he didn’t really need to, either, because once Shion forgot you he had no reason to reject him anymore.”

“What do I do, then?” demanded Nezumi.

“Like hell I know,” she replied, “it’s your mess, clean it up yourself. Unless Shu scared your pants off and you’re gonna give up now.”

“As if,” Nezumi said, and crossed his arms along with a dramatic roll of eyes. .

“Good,” said Inukashi.

And so, Nezumi spent the rest of his evening spying from afar on Shion and Shu walking between the different guests and greeting them. It seemed that most people were almost ignoring Shu, probably because Shion was the one they really wanted to talk with. The couple also didn’t do anything that might betray that fact that their relationship was of more than coworkers, and that annoyed Nezumi, because he hoped that at least the public opinion about dating a coworker would be in his favor. _Then again_ , he thought, _if they were acting like a couple that’d be even more annoying._

The night went on with no events that Nezumi could consider noteworthy. Shion talked with people, Shu stayed by him at every single moment, Inukashi and Shionn were in their own world, and Victoria kept away from him, although he did notice her looking at his direction every once in a while. By the time guests started leaving, Nezumi was sure that nothing interesting was going to happen. He was wrong.

One of the security men came up to Shu and whispered something in his ear, and he apologized to Shion and whoever he was talking with before following the guard. Nezumi looked at the suspicious event closely, his gaze racing between Shion and Shu, trying to decide whether to follow the two men or stay there to watch Shion. Before long, Nezumi chose the first option, hoping to get the upper hand by spying on Shu, and followed Shu and the guard to a small office. He had to wait for a while before he dared to come closer and put his ear to the door they had just walked into, so he can hear the muffled voices from the other side. 

“I understand,” he heard Shu’s voice. “I shall take the appropriate measures.”

“I think that we should evacuate Shion for now, sir,” the security man said.

“No,” Shu replied. “Shion can’t know about this.”

“But sir—”

“I don’t want to hear any ‘but’s,” said Shu aggressively.

“And still,” the man insisted, “Shion must know if somebody out there is after his life!”

Nezumi almost jumped away from the door from the shock, but he managed to keep still and listen just for a little longer.

“Don’t you think that Shion has enough to worry about?” argued Shu. “I said I will take the appropriate measures, did I not?”

Nezumi backed away from the door with horror. He let his legs carry him someplace inside of the Moondrop, although he wasn’t quite sure where. _Somebody wants Shion dead,_ he thought. _Why?_ But he knew he’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t know the answer. It was clear from seeing the outside world the way he did. The six big cities were losing their power. The world had started to recover, and more and more cities had begun to emerge out of nowhere like weeds. With that happening the big cities could no longer excuse their oppressive governments due to the state of crisis. And then No. 6, the greatest of the six cities, decided to give its citizens their freedom. Not to mention the support they were giving to the newer cities. Shion’s leadership was definitely problematic in more than one sense for the higher authorities in the other cities.

“Eve!”

Nezumi froze. He had no idea where he was, but he was certain he hadn’t leave the Moondrop or even the floor where the party was taking place. He turned toward the cry of his stage name, only to meet one of the people he had been least excited about meeting when he was to come back to No. 6.

“There you are,” Rikiga said.

“Oh,” Nezumi replied, without any attempt to hide his disappointment.

“No need to be all teary,” Rikiga said, annoyed. “I’ve been looking for you the entire night, you know.”

“I wish I didn’t,” said Nezumi, and Rikiga gave him a sour look.

“Either way, I heard your audition went well!” His chest widened with pride.

“Yes,” Nezumi said bitterly, “I’m a backstage guy. Best audition I have ever had.”

“But you still left quite the impression on the manager,” Rikiga argued. “She wanted to know if you know Hamlet’s part, too.”

“Of course,” Nezumi said with growing suspicion, “why?”

“The old actor was hospitalized last night,” Rikiga explained. “I think he was attacked by a dog or something, I’m not really sure.” Then he looked around, but Inukashi was nowhere in sight. “The manager wants you at the rehearsal tomorrow at 10AM sharp. She said she might let you play Hamlet from tomorrow night’s show and onwards.”

“Really?” Nezumi asked.

“Yes!” Rikiga exclaimed. “Also Shion watches this show all the time so—”

_Shion!_ Nezumi remembered in horror before running back in the direction he believed the party was, ignoring Rikiga’s angry shouts at his back. _I have to find him before anyone else tries to kill him again._ He ran across the unfamiliar halls, hoping, praying that he was going in the right direction. When he reached the hall where he had last seen Shion, there was already nobody there. He scanned the area, looking for anything suspicious, when a small stain of white in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Shion was standing and looking at the sky from the balcony that was accessible from two big glass doors in the corner of the hall. He was wet from the rain, which Nezumi hadn’t known was pouring until that moment, because he was too deep in his own world to notice the light sound of drops tapping on the roof.  Nezumi let out a sigh of relief. He then walked toward the window slowly, still catching his breath from his earlier run.

Nezumi just leaned against a wall by the transparent doors, looking at Shion and thinking about eight years ago, in a storm just like that one, when his life had changed. Shion didn’t notice, but Nezumi was still content with just standing there unnoticed. There was somewhat of an intimate feeling about watching him that way, almost as if the two of them could share this escape to a world that belonged only to them, even if Shion was unaware of it.

Shu walked right past Nezumi, deliberately ignoring him. He knocked on the glass door, hard enough to grab Shion’s attention, but not enough to damage the glass. Shion turned to him with a hazy look, then walked back into the hall, soaking wet, where Shu wrapped a towel around his shoulders, and put another one over his head. Shion held onto the towel around him and let Shu dry his hair with the second one. Once again, Nezumi found himself in the position of seeing but not being seen, or more accurately, seen but dismissed by the two lovebirds who were too engrossed with each other to mind him.

“Such a child sometimes,” Shu mumbled, and Shion hummed in agreement. After rubbing the towel to Shion’s hair for a long minute, Shu stopped, but never withdrew his hands from the towel. With one hand, he brushed Shion’s beautiful and still slightly wet hair away from his face to have a better look at him. Nezumi almost looked away; how dared Shu touch Shion’s hair so lightly. Then Shion elevated himself on his toes and pecked at Shu’s lips, at which point Nezumi did, finally, turned his gaze away.

“I’ll go get the car,”  Shu said. “Stay here.”

Shion nodded, and Shu left, giving Nezumi one last freezing look before doing so. After Shu made a turn and disappeared from sight, Nezumi looked at Shion again, only to find out he had been staring at him. He stared back, but didn’t dare to speak or move, even slightly, fearing to disturb the rare moment where Shion paid full attention to him, and only him, of his own free will. It went on for a while; Nezumi stayed perfectly still, breathing steadily, and Shion looked at him with a puzzled and thoughtful expression. Nezumi didn’t know for how long he could hear only his own breath and the sound of the rain, before Shion’s face suddenly brightened.

“I remember now!” he exclaimed.

That was the last thing Nezumi had expected to hear. It was too random, and much too amazing to be true. “Really?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yes!” Shion called. “You _are_ Nezumi, right? VC-103221?”

Nezumi felt his heart sink. _You are too cruel, Your Majesty,_ he thought bitterly, but since he hadn’t had much time to believe that Shion had remembered him now, there wasn’t much sadness to recover from, either. “I am,” he answered. “I’m glad you decided to remember.”

“I knew I met you somewhere before,” said Shion happily. “I always wanted to see you again!”

“Well, you did save my life,” Nezumi said, “and I am not one to leave a debt unpaid.”

“Oh no, that’d be unnecessary,” Shion protested, and Nezumi walked closer to lessen the distance between them.

“I insist,” said Nezumi, his mind set on using Shion’s forgetting that his debt was, indeed, repaid long ago to his advantage. “Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

“Y-Your Highness?” Shion stuttered. “Really, Nezumi, I couldn’t ask you to do anything for me.”

Shu walked back into the hall right in time to save Shion from Nezumi’s persistence. “The car is parked at the front,” he said.

“Alright!” Shion called in his direction, then turned back to Nezumi. “Listen, if you want to make up to me, how about you buy me coffee sometime?”

“You think my life is that cheap, Your Majesty?” Nezumi asked, in a clearly false offended tone.

“No, I—”

“Shion, come on!” said Shu.

“Coffee could be part of my payment, if that is what you wish,” Nezumi said. “How about I add to it? Come watch Hamlet tomorrow night in the West Block theater, we can grab coffee afterwards.”

“Hamlet?” Shion asked. “Why?”

Shu started walking in their direction impatiently.

“It’s a surprise,” Nezumi said, then left before Shu could reach them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what guys? I'm alive!

Shion decided that he was somewhere he had been at before. Not a very specific observation, he knew, but it was enough for the moment. It was a closed space: a room, Shion realized, and a very important one, although he couldn’t quite remember why. It was crowded; not with people but with books. There was a bed there, and there was a man, too, but Shion couldn’t quite see his face. He only knew he loved that man more than anything else, and therefore, that it was most likely Shu.

_I want to know more about you!_ Shion yelled, sure it made sense in the context of the conversation they were having, whatever it was about.

Shu laughed and made some cruel remark about what Shion had just said. But Shion insisted, and suddenly Shu grabbed Shion’s hand and put it to his chest.

_What do you feel?_ he asked. Shion said it was a man’s chest, and Shu made another scornful comment. _My heart is beating properly,_ he said, _and it’s warm, right?_

_Well, obviously!_ Shion replied. _You’re alive._

_Good,_ said Shu. _That’s plenty. What do you need to know beyond that?_

***

When Shion woke up, Shu was sitting on the side of the bed, fully dressed apart from his coat, tie and shoes. Shion let out a soft sigh of comfort at the sight, and scooted a little closer to him. This gesture alerted Shu, who turned to look at him worryingly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “did I wake you up?”

“No,” answered Shion, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes. “Just a weird dream. It might have been a memory, I think.”

“Hmmm,” Shu hummed and started tying his shoes. “What was it about?”

“You, actually,” Shion said and let his body fall on Shu’s back, his eyes closed and his bare chest pressed against Shu’s dress shirt. “I said I wanted to know more about you, and you said that you were alive, and that that’s all I needed to know. Do you remember anything like that?”

Shu didn’t answer, but Shion was too tired to notice. Still half asleep, all he could do was to wrap his arms around Shu’s waist and think, _You were right, it_ is _warm._

“Come on now.” Shu tapped Shion’s arms, “Mr. Hero of the City needs his rest.”

“Five more minutes,” Shion murmured.

“No, sir,” Shu said and got up, leaving Shion hanging mid air. “You should get whatever sleep you can.”

Shion looked outside the window. It was still dark. Then he looked back at Shu, who collected his tie and coat from the floor.

“Stop staring and go back to sleep,” he said. “I’m heading back to my place, so be a good boy, will you?”

It was their usual morning routine, and Shion knew better than to ask Shu to stay. He was aware that Shu valued his privacy and, in a way, needed it to function. Besides, Shu was slowly changing in an attempt to share more of his life with Shion. Finally, after a long period of gradual, yet sustained  improvement, Shu could now stay overnight at Shion’s place, but still needed at least an hour a day to go back to his own place in the morning to shower and get ready for a new day of work, and sometimes an hour in the evening to recover from said day.

Shion yawned, and Shu planted a kiss on his forehead, before telling him again to sleep more and leaving the room. Shion’s head sank back into his pillow. He closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the covers fight his thoughts away so that he could drift back to sleep.

****

“Shion!” Shu’s voice came from outside of Shion’s office. “Can you come here for a second?”

Shion finished typing one last sentence in his report before sighing in annoyance at being disturbed in the middle of his work. Shu had a good reason, Shion was sure, because Shu never bothered him when the door of his office was closed unless it was important. Shion got up from his chair and patted down the wrinkles in his suit. He walked out to the hallway, where Shu waited for him, accompanied by a young woman Shion had never seen before. She wore a brown blazer on top of a white buttoned-up shirt, and a matching skirt. Shion couldn’t tell how long her honey-colored hair was, because it was tied in a neat, tight bun, not letting a single stray strand escape, except for her short, straight bangs. Judging by the strict look of her attire, Shion could only guess that she was a visitor from No. 3, or maybe No. 4, although he was quite certain that he would’ve heard about such visitor weeks beforehand if that were the case.

“I want you to meet Alexa,” Shu said, “she’s going to be your secretary from now on.”

“Eh?” Shion exclaimed.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Alexa said with a blank expression.

“N-nice to meet you too,” Shion replied, quickly reaching to shake her hand.He was expecting a follow up that would keep their conversation going, but none came. He looked at Shu nervously, hoping that he would realize that Shion was too shocked at the moment to progress the conversation himself, but Shu only looked back at him, not saying a word. Even after Shion retrieved his hand from Alexa’s surprisingly strong grip, neither Shu nor Alexa attempted to initiate any form of communication. Instead, the two just stared intently at Shion, as if he were the one that was supposed to speak first.

After realizing that the two would most likely just keep staring at him unless he said something, Shion turned to Alexa. “Would you mind excusing us for a bit?”

Alexa nodded once, standing straight and tall as Shu and Shion entered Shion’s office. After closing the door shut behind them, Shion said, “A secretary?”

“Yeah,” said Shu, “I thought it’s about time you got one.”

“I don’t need a secretary,” Shion argued. “How could you just hire her without telling me?”

“I knew if I’d tell you, you’d say you didn’t want her,” Shu said.

“That’s exactly the point!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Shu reassured him. “I’m sure that it would make you life a lot easier, even if it might take a bit getting used to.” He walked to open the door, before remembering something and turning back. “You want to grab dinner together tonight?”

“Sure,” Shion answered without hesitation. “Oh, wait, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m supposed to go to the theater tonight,” said Shion.

“Supposed?” asked Shu.

“Yes, I promised Nezumi,” Shion answered.

“You’re going to the theater with him?”

Shu’s tone seemed to become tenser, so Shion hurried to reply, “No. I mean, I don’t think so. He just asked me to watch Hamlet tonight.”

“He asked you to watch Hamlet?” Shu raised one eyebrow. He paused for a moment, thoughtfully looking at some spot on the floor. Eventually, he opened his mouth slowly. “You should probably stay away from him as much as possible.”

“Why?” Shion asked, surprised.

Shu took a moment again, forming each word carefully in his mind, planning his next sentence with caution. “He’s dangerous.”

“What makes you say that?” demanded Shion. “You don’t even know him.”

“Maybe,” Shu admitted, “but I know he’s dangerous for you.”

“I don’t understand what basis you have for such claim—” Shion began, but stopped suddenly. “Don’t tell me that… are you jealous?”

“What?!” Shu stiffened, like a rat caught sneaking out of his hole. “No way!”

Shion laughed. “Then why are you blushing?”

“I am _not_.” Shu tried to seem as angry and determined as possible but the flush on his cheeks betrayed him, regardless.

“You’re adorable,” said Shion.

Shu groaned, annoyed, and left the office before Shion could take any further advantage of the situation. Before Shion could stop smiling and return to work, Alexa walked in, closing the door more gently than Shu had moments earlier.

“Is everything alright, sir?” she asked. “Mister Lao seemed quite upset.”

“It’s fine,” Shion said, still smiling, “and you can call me Shion.”

She gave him a puzzled look, and remained stunned with perplexity for a moment before shaking her head slightly and saying, “Please, don’t think so highly of me, sir.”

“But—”

“Is there anything I can assist you with?” she asked, not leaving Shion time to protest.

“Not right now,” he replied, “To be honest I don’t really know what to ask of a secretary.”

She gave him a blank look, simply waiting for orders, as if the fact that Shion didn’t know what to ask of her shouldn’t have stopped him from giving her an assignment.

“I guess, you could take this time to organize your office,” Shion suggested.

“I don’t have an office, sir,” she informed him, “I sit in the glass desk by the entrance to your office, did you not see it?”

Shion mentally scolded himself for not noticing the new addition to the floor right on his office's doorstep. He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something else to assign to Alexa.

“If you can think of nothing you would like my assistance with,” Alexa said, with the same empty face, “I could go and assist Mister Lao, in the meanwhile.”

“Huh?” Shion said. “Oh yes, that’s a great idea.”

“In that case, if you excuse me,” she said and left immediately.

_She might not be a diplomat, but I doubt she’s from No. 6,_ Shion pondered. Her very presence reminded him of people with similar jobs in other cities, subordinates of highly regarded politicians who behaved as if their being inferior was a given, not an issue. _Where the hell did Shu get_ her _from?_ Shion sighed softly. _This is going to be a long day._

****

“W-what are you doing?” Shion asked Alexa when he realized she was following him to the entrance of the building where he resided. “I understand that you think that driving me home is part of your ‘duty’, but walking me in is just too much.”

Alexa tilted her head. “I live in this building as well, sir.”

“You do?” said Shion, letting out a relieved sigh. “What a coincidence.”

“Hardly,” Alexa said. “I moved in the moment I was assigned as your secretary.”

“You did?” Shion almost groaned. “You take your job very seriously.”

“Obviously.”

_She had to be quite persistent,_ Shion thought, _to choose to live in this building just to be close to me._ It wasn’t a very attractive place to live in, as it was originally one of the temporary shelters made for West Block residents after the fall of No. 6. Since then it has been converted to an apartment building— _with the term ‘converted’ being used rather loosely_ , Shion would often think. The staircase was always dark as it lacked both windows and proper lighting, the shower had a series of specific tricks that had to be implemented in the right order to make it work, and the walls were very, very thin: Shu and Shion had received several complaints already. The proximity to his workplace was the only reason Shion had picked that building, despite its poor shape. Alexa, however, had a car, and was surely paid more than enough to choose a better place to live in.

Just then, Shion realized just _how_ persistent Alexa really was. He wondered where exactly she planned on living, struggling to remember if any of his neighbors had moved out recently. Before Shion could ask her about it, Alexa turned away from the stairs, and disappeared into a door that led to the only room on the ground floor—a room Shion had heard was too small for anyone to live in, and was only used as a storage room even when the building was still a shelter. Shion sighed. _What was Shu thinking when he hired her?_

Shion decided to forget about Alexa for the time being, heading up to the second floor, where he lived. His apartment very small and modest, with only whatever was necessary for a normal, basic life—a bathroom, a bedroom, and a kitchen that also functioned as a dining room when needed. It wasn’t exactly neat, but it was as organized as it could be. The simple truth was that Shion’s apartment was too small for his paperwork—and so his apartment was decorated by pillars of papers that made navigating from one room to another rather difficult. Shu often remarked that the way his paperwork was scattered was a clear indication that Shion should find a new, and hopefully better, place to live in. But Shion always dismissed his concerns, secretly thinking he’d rather wait until Shu finally decided to move in with him, so that they could choose their new home together.

Shion took off his jacket and put it down on one of the chairs in the kitchen. Shion rarely cooked since he barely had the time to; he usually ate food he had delivered directly to his office. Occasionally, his mother or Shu would realize that for the nth time and insist on cooking for him, but that was about the most use his kitchen had seen. He looked at the clock on the wall and decided he had more than enough time for shower before leaving for the theater. Rather than helping him like she should, Alexa exhausted him, although he was sure she wasn’t doing it on purpose. Nevertheless, Shion was so worn that he feared that if he were to go to the theater as he was, he would fall asleep during the first act.

_A cold shower should do the trick,_ he figured, but even after trying to wash the events of the day with freezing water, he still felt jaded in a way that felt inappropriately nostalgic. It was a type of fatigue Shion often experienced after regaining memories, and it made him recall for the first time that day that he had had a dream about Shu that night. He hurriedly got dressed and sat on his bed with a small notebook and a pen. The doctors had told Shion to write down everything he thought might be a memory, and Shion couldn’t disagree with the logic behind it. After jotting down the date and a summary of his dream, Shion returned to the kitchen, checking the time again. The performance wasn’t going to start in a while, but Shion decided that he’d rather not wait in his apartment. Work was work, and at least he was going to feel more relaxed doing it at the theater’s cafe, Shion concluded. Not nearly as refreshed as he would’ve liked to be, he left his apartment for the second time that day.

When he reached the ground floor, the door of Alexa’s room opened, and sure enough, Alexa emerged from it within the next second, looking exactly the same as she did the last time Shion saw her.

“Good evening,” he said.

“May I ask where you are going, sir?” she asked, ignoring his greeting.

“Oh, just to the theater,” Shion explained.

“In that case,” Alexa said, “let me drive you there.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Shion protested, “it’s not even work-related.”

Alexa looked at him with her usual expressionless stare, as if she did not understand why they were having a discussion when her driving him to the theater should have been obvious. “Can we go now?”

“Sure,” said Shion, defeated.

Alexa had a very big car, both on the inside and the outside. When Shion first saw it, on his way out of work, it seemed like a normal car, as much as a car that size could look. After opening the door, he realized how thick the frame and windows were. It reminded him of a military vehicle he had seen in videos about the old world, like those made for the battlefield, or those that were used to transport large amounts of money to and from banks. The inside, though, didn’t suffer from the thickness of the walls, and was much more spacious than the interiors of a regular car.

Alex’s car was not to Shion’s liking in every single aspect. He disliked the idea of having a car, he always had, preferring to ride the train or bus. Shu sometimes drove him, mostly on date nights. But Shu’s car was only as big as necessary, unlike Alexa’s car, which was almost comically big. In addition, he didn’t mind driving with Shu, while Alexa’s silence made him uncomfortable at the very least.

But Alexa, in her quiet way, was too persistent for Shion to turn down. So he let her drive him to the theater, sitting in one of the back seats of the car only because Alexa had opened the door for him, leaving him no other choice. Shion rested his head against the thick window, staring emptily at the changing scenery, and anticipating thirty minutes of awkward silence between himself and Alexa. Deep in his thoughts, he did not notice how the soft rumble of the engine was slowly lulling him into light sleep.


	6. Not a real chapter

Alright I'm sorry but I can't do this. I really just shouldn't have written this fic I never had any idea how to continue it past the second chapter and this entire thing was stupid. I realize that I left it out here for way to long but honestly just the fact that it's here and "could be continued" is making me hate writing. So, I'm closing this project completely so that hopefully I can enjoy writing NezuShi again. I'm sorry. But not really cause this fic has been torturing me and I can't express how happy I am to just finally move on.

Anyway I realize I kinda suck for doing this to you so feel free to PM or find me on tumblr (same username) to yell at me about how much you hate me or if you want closure I can tell you what I had in mind for the ending of this fic. Or you could just talk with me I guess if you want to but I doubt it.

**Author's Note:**

> Special Thanks to Vox who really really helped me a lot with editing and plot :D


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